


Unnerving

by ByAStream



Series: OTP: Falling Leaves [5]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:41:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26953057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ByAStream/pseuds/ByAStream
Summary: Trips to the grocery store are always an adventure.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader, James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson/Reader, Sam Wilson/Reader
Series: OTP: Falling Leaves [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1951765
Kudos: 13





	Unnerving

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr: jbbarnesnnoble.tumblr.com

You double checked that you had everything you needed before the three of you headed to the park that was on the compound. With more agents living there who had their families with them, there was a park not too far from the small neighborhood that was ever growing. Tony was hosting an event for all the kids, a kick off to the Halloween festivities. 

The park had been transformed into an early fall festival. Trees were beginning to turn to their beautiful fall colors. Hay bales were strewn about along with pumpkins big and small. Tables for food were set up, which was where the three of you headed. Bucky carried the giant bowl of fruit salad while Sam carried the trays of buffalo chicken casserole and chicken alfredo that you had made, setting them on the racks with sternos below them. While Tony would have events catered, he had come to enjoy the community aspect of people bringing dishes to share. 

Different stations were set up for the children and teenagers alike. Face painting, bobbing for apples, pumpkin picking, hay rides, and scary stories. You were on tap to read scary stories. Later in the fall, Tony would be putting on a huge festival, complete with rides, costumes, and other activities. That would be grander and held in a public space as a fundraiser for a local children’s hospital. By Tony’s standards, this was a small get together with activities for the kids. 

You settled into the chair that was provided to you and selected one of the books. You were familiar with most of them. You chose  _ In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories  _ as the first book of the day. Some of the stories were tamer than others. 

“Before we begin, I must warn you. These stories are creepy, crawly, all kinds of scary. But remember, they’re just stories,” you said. Things were fine until you got to The Green Ribbon. You knew how this one ended. 

“Slowly and carefully, Alfred untied the ribbon,” you said keeping the book turned toward yourself, “and Jenny’s head fell off.” You turned the book toward the children who were engrossed in the story. You took in their expressions, gauging whether or not you had to pause and talk about it, reminding them it was just a story. You saw one little girl do a little fist pump and turn to her friend to boast about how she guessed the twist to this story.

You soon finished the book and the children went to play. You were deciding on another book when someone crept up behind you where you stood looking at the selection, startling you. You smacked Bucky’s arm playfully as he handed you a cup of fresh apple cider from a local farm along with an apple cider doughnut. 

“How’d it go?” he asked, leaning against the tree that stood behind you. You smiled at him as you took a bite of the doughnut, swallowing before responding.

“Good, good. There’s some scarier books for later. I wish there were storybook versions of Goosebumps. Now those are some scary stories for kids,” you said, with a slight grimace. Goosebumps was one of your favorite series, but they often scared you as a kid.

“What’s Goosebumps?” he asked. Sam had come over to join the two of you along with a few of the others.

“You don’t know Goosebumps Mr. Barnes?” Peter Parker asked. 

“No, should I?” Bucky asked. The group exchanged looks.

“Should we show him the books or the television series first?” you asked, directly more at Sam. 

“The books are good but the show ups the creep factor,” Sam said.

“But the books are classics,” Peter argued. 

“I’m with the kid. I’ve read a few of the books before when I wanted some light reading,” Natasha interjected.

“You call that light reading? I still have nightmares sometimes when I read those books,” you said with a slight shudder. Everyone paused and looked at you.

“Out of everything in life,  _ that  _ is what gives you nightmares? Really?” Clint asked, surprised at your answer. You simply shrugged. It wasn’t that your line of work never left you with nightmares. It was that the things in Goosebumps usually seemed to prevail over the protagonists. At least in real life, you’d been lucky to be the one who won. Even if your last mission put you out of commission for a bit while you finished healing. It was supposed to be an easy mission. You’d been there as one of two senior members of the team assisting rookies in their first real mission. 

Bucky wrapped his arms around you while Sam slung an arm over your shoulder. You looked around at the group, a soft smile on your face as they bickered playfully about scary stories and other things that people wouldn’t expect the Avengers to be arguing about. This was home. This was family. At the end of the day, it wasn’t always about saving the world. 


End file.
